Blue Star Press Defies Odds in Saturated Market with New Bestseller

BEND, Ore., June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It is acknowledged as fact in the world of publishing: adult coloring books are so last year.

Publishers have all but given up on adult coloring books, with reason: the market is saturated and retailers are reluctant to stock yet another adult coloring book.

Blue Star Coloring began in 2015 and was immediately a leader in publishing adult coloring books, creating a trend that swept the publishing world. "Stress Relieving Patterns" sold over 500,000 copies, becoming a New York Times bestseller and one of Amazon's 2015 Top Ten titles. Other Blue Star Coloring titles quickly followed suit. One might say that a star was born—a blue star, that is.

In early 2017, Blue Star Coloring rebranded to Blue Star Press and broadened its focus beyond coloring. But, unlike other publishers, they didn't abandon coloring. Rather, they doubled down, partnering with Maria Shriver on Color Your Mind: A Coloring Book for Those with Alzheimer's and The People Who Love Them. "We absolutely believe in the power of coloring," said Blue Star Press co-founder and CMO Peter Licalzi, citing the many people who reached out to express how coloring has helped them to manage stress, to work through depression, to grieve, or simply to find moments of calm amidst hectic modern life. "Our company mission is to inspire wellness through creative expression," Licalzi continues. "With Color Your Mind, we saw an opportunity to further this mission by partnering with Alzheimer's advocate Maria Shriver. Her hope is to help people with Alzheimer's and their loved ones and caregivers to find ways to connect with one another. We support this wholeheartedly, and believe in coloring as a powerful tool to help people create, reflect, and connect."

The move was seen by some in the publishing community as a gamble, but it is clearly one that has paid off: with sizeable orders from Barnes & Noble, Target, and a number of other retailers, the small press went through the initial print run in one week, and rushed a reprint to keep up with demand. "Coloring isn't a trend," says Blue Star Press CEO and co-founder Camden Hendricks. "Consumers are smart, and they are showing that they believe that coloring has a deeper purpose. We couldn't agree more."